McAvoy Will Defend ‘Conspirator’

James McAvoy and Robin Wright Penn

By Phil Guie – CinemaSpy.com

Robert Redford’s period drama The Conspirator, based on events following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, has found its leading man and lady.
Wanted star James McAvoy will play Frederick Aiken, the attorney for Mary Surratt, the only woman among a group charged with conspiring to kill the president, Variety reports. Aiken is an idealistic young war hero who reluctantly defends Surratt, and in the process comes to believe her innocence.

Robin Wright Penn has been cast as Surratt, who was also the mother of one of the alleged conspirators. Production on the film, based on a script by James Solomon, is scheduled to begin in October.

The Conspirator will mark the film picture financed by the American Film Co., which has engaged Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson and several Lincoln assassination experts for help with accuracy.

“Stories from our history are often more compelling than fiction,” said Joe Ricketts, an online brokerage entrepreneur and head of American Film Co. “Mary Surratt’s trial is a powerful, relevant story.”

Who’s Playing Bilbo Baggins? Ian McKellen Knows

Ian McKellen as Gandalf

From AceShowbiz.com

“The Hobbit” has reportedly found the actor to play its titular role. Actor Ian McKellen was the one who broke the news while making an appearance at a special marathon screening for the extended editions of all three “Lord of the Rings” films at London’s BFI IMAX cinema on Saturday, August 22.

The actor who plays wise wizard Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy revealed that he knows who will take on the starring role. However, he was keeping tight lips on whether or not “Atonement” actor James McAvoy is the one who will carry out the Bilbo Baggins character.

During his introduction for the screening, the 70-year-old McKellen also confirmed that he will be coming back as Gandalf in director Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. The SAG Awards-winner also revealed, as reported by Olli, “he is currently re-Reading the hobbit and is expecting to be back in NZ in March” and “he should be seeing the script within the next week”.

Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex has reported that “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe, “Doctor Who” lead actor David Tennant and James McAvoy were all rumored to be the potential candidates for Bilbo Baggins. However, both Radcliffe and Tennant have slammed the speculation. Radcliffe stated that he has no interest in the project, while Tennant claimed it to be plain Internet rumor.

“The Hobbit” is taken from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel of the same title and is planned to be made into two-part movies. The movies will re-create the scenes of the novel, with additional events that make an impact to “The Lords of the Rings”, such as the expulsion of Sauron from Mirkwood by The White Council.

Shooting is expected to start in March 2010 and go on for about 370 days. Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis are said to reprise their “The Lord of the Rings” roles as Lord Elrond and Gollum respectively. The first of the adventure fantasy movie is scheduled for December 2011 U.S. release, while the second one is expected to hit theaters across the U.S. a year later.

Read an EXCLUSIVE interview with LOTR Creature Creator, Gino Acevedo HERE

Pete Jackson talks Bilbo Baggins casting

Helen O’Hara – EmpireOnline.com

It has been rumored that the casting of Bilbo Baggins for The Hobbit may be announced at Comic-Con next week. Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy and David Tennant are all rumored to be in the running for the role – but according to what Peter Jackson told us when we spoke to him recently, the fans shouldn’t be holding their breath for a ‘Con announcement.

   “No, we won’t be announcing Bilbo for a little while,” he said when we asked about a Comic-Con announcement. “We’re starting to think about casting, but we’re knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they’re probably going to ask to see a script, so we’re powering ahead with getting the first draft done.”

   We also asked him what he’s planning to do next after The Lovely Bones, but he’s not yet sure. “I haven’t yet decided what I’ll be directing after that. At the moment we’re concentrating on writing a couple of little movies with Guillermo [Del Toro]. A couple of small films! (Laughs) And that’s going to take us another few months of writing to do.

“But we are developing a couple of projects which are potentially films that I’d direct for next year. Temeraire is still on the cards. But those are really taking a second place at the moment…”

   Temeraire, of course, is his mooted adaptation of Naomi Novik’s fantasy-lit saga, in which French and English forces wage the Napoleonic wars with enormous battle-dragons. A heady blend of sea battles and bloody big monsters, we reckon it would be a perfect fit for the Lord Of The Rings director. 

134 New Names Invited to Join the Academy

Here is the 2009 announcement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it extended 134 invitations to several artists and executives “who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures” read the press release.

Actors

• Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone
• Emily Blunt – Sunshine Cleaning, The Devil Wears Prada
• Michael Cera – Juno, Superbad
• Viola Davis – Doubt, State of Play
• James Franco – Milk, Spider-Man
• Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges, Mission: Impossible II
• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married, The Princess Diaries
• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hustle & Flow
• Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild, Lords of Dogtown
• Hugh Jackman – X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Prestige
• Melissa Leo – Frozen River, 21 Grams
• Jane Lynch – Role Models, The 40 Year-Old Virgin
• Eddie Marsan – Happy-Go-Lucky, The Illusionist
• James McAvoy – Atonement, The Last King of Scotland
• Seth Rogen – Monsters vs. Aliens, Knocked Up
• Paul Rudd – I Love You, Man, Knocked Up
• Amy Ryan – Changeling, Gone Baby Gone
• Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
• Michelle Williams – Wendy and Lucy, Brokeback Mountain
• Jeffrey Wright – Quantum of Solace, W.

Animators

• J.J. Blumenkranz – Monster House, The Polar Express
• Konstantin Bronzit – Lavatory-Lovestory, The Cat and the Fox
• Kendal Cronkhite – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Antz
• Rodolphe Guenoden – Kung Fu Panda, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
• Byron Howard – Bolt, Lilo & Stitch
• Kunio Kato – La Maison en Petits Cubes
• Doug Sweetland – Presto, The Incredibles
• Chris Williams – Bolt, Chicken Little

Art Directors

• Andrew Ackland-Snow – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Notting Hill

At-Large

• Matthew D. Loeb
• Redmond Morris

Casting Directors

• John Papsidera – The Dark Knight, Agent Cody Banks
• Bernie Telsey – Sex and the City, Across the Universe

Cinematographers

• Russ T. Alsobrook – Paul Blart Mall Cop, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Anthony Dod Mantle – Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King of Scotland
• Henner Hofmann – Ave Maria, La Leyenda de una Mascara (The Legend of the Mask)
• Claudio Miranda – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Failure to Launch
• Rodney Taylor – Save Me, Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France
• Mandy Walker – Australia, Shattered Glass

Costume Designers

• Deborah Hopper – Changeling, Million Dollar Baby
• Louise Mingenbach – The Hangover, Superman Returns
• Michael O’Connor – The Duchess, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
• Michael Wilkinson – Watchmen, Babel

Directors

• Rachid Bouchareb – Days of Glory, Dust of Life
• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine
• David Frankel – Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada
• Rod Lurie – Nothing but the Truth, The Contender
• Thomas McCarthy – The Visitor, The Station Agent
• Tyler Perry – Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, Madea’s Family Reunion
• Henry Selick – Coraline, Monkeybone

Documentary

• William Gazecki – Crop Circles: Quest for Truth, Waco: The Rules of Engagement
• Rachel Grady – Jesus Camp, The Boys of Baraka
• Rory Kennedy – Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, A Boy’s Life
• Scott Hamilton Kennedy – The Garden, OT: Our Town
• James Marsh – Man on Wire, Wisconsin Death Trip
• Megan Mylan – Smile Pinki, Lost Boys of Sudan
• Doug Pray – Surfwise, Scratch

Executives

• Daniel D.A. Battsek
• Steve Beeks
• Graham W. Burke
• Joe Drake
• Erik Feig
• Paul Hanneman
• Donald P. Harris
• Claudia Lewis

Film Editors

• Roger Barton – Speed Racer, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
• Hank Corwin – What Just Happened, The New World
• Chris Dickens – Slumdog Millionaire, Shaun of the Dead
• Elliot Graham – Milk, Superman Returns
• Kathryn Himoff – Appaloosa, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Leo Trombetta – Little Children, Northfork
• Brent White – Step Brothers, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
• Pam Wise – Then She Found Me, Transamerica

Live Action Short Films

• Reto Caffi – Auf der Strecke (On the Line), Leos Freunde
• Jochen Alexander Freydank – Spielzeugland (Toyland), Dienst (Duty)
• F. Carter Pilcher – The Dreaming, Bitter

Makeup and Hairstylists

• Howard Berger – Seven Pounds, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Mike Elizalde – Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer
• Louis Lazzara – Race to Witch Mountain, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
• Gerald Quist – Tropic Thunder, The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause

Music

• Jeff Danna – Lakeview Terrace, Fracture
• Andrew Dorfman – Baby Mama, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
• Peter Gabriel – WALL-E, Philadelphia
• Clint Mansell – The Wrestler, The Fountain
• A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Producers

• Mark Ciardi – The Game Plan, The Rookie
• Christian Colson – Slumdog Millionaire, The Descent
• Gordon Gray – Invincible, Miracle
• Broderick Johnson – One Missed Call; P.S. I Love You
• Cathy Konrad – 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line
• Andrew Kosove – Racing Stripes, Dude, Where’s My Car?
• James Lassiter – Hancock, Lakeview Terrace
• Russell Smith – Juno, The Libertine
• Paula Wagner – Death Race, Elizabethtown

Production Designers

• Donald Graham Burt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac
• Michael Carlin – The Duchess, In Bruges
• Jane Ann Stewart – The Savages, Sideways
• Kevin Thompson – Duplicity, Michael Clayton

Public Relations

• Michael D. Camp
• Marc Cohen
• Megan Colligan
• James C. Gallagher
• David Kaminow
• Sal Ladestro
• Maria Pekurovskaya
• Elizabeth Petit

Set Decorators

• Rebecca Alleway – The Duchess, The Last King of Scotland
• Peter Lando – The Dark Knight, The Invisible
• Barbara Munch-Cameron – Bottle Shock, Rent

Scenic Artists

• Robert Topol – Doubt, The Departed

Sound

• Michael Barry – The Reader, Mamma Mia!
• Derek Casari – The Soloist, Beowulf
• Aaron Glascock – Deception; Good Night, and Good Luck.
• Ren Klyce – Zodiac, The Fight Club
• Peter F. Kurland – No Country for Old Men, Walk the Line
• Karen Baker Landers – 27 Dresses, The Bourne Ultimatum
• Hamilton Sterling – Fool’s Gold, Scary Movie 4
• Deborah Wallach – Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code
• Kim Waugh – Shade, Monster’s Ball

Visual Effects

• Christopher Bond – Idlewild, Superman Returns
• Matthew Butler – The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Letters from Iwo Jima
• Chris Corbould – The Dark Knight, Casino Royale
• Rob Engle – Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, Beowulf
• Scott Gordon – Nim’s Island, Spider-Man 3
• Hal Hickel – Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
• Van Ling – Milk, Vanilla Sky
• Shane Mahan – Iron Man, War of the Worlds
• Steve Preeg – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Tim Webber – The Dark Knight, Children of Men
• Edson Williams – Star Trek (2009), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Writers

• John August – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s Angels
• Dustin Lance Black – Milk
• Courtney Hunt – Frozen River
• Howard A. Rodman – Savage Grace, Joe Gould’s Secret

Amazon Specials!

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